France Just Made Every Citizen An Organ Donor, Unless They Opt Out

Partial removal of a liver from a living donor by laparoscopy for a transplantation, Here, departure graft for transplantation in insulated container, Department of Surgery of Pr Olivier Soubrane, St Antoine hospital, Paris.

A new law in France makes everyone organ and tissue donors, unless individuals specifically register to withdraw from the program.

Before 2017, organs and tissue were considered for donation only if a person made their preference for donation clear. If no wishes were stated, doctors would ask their relatives, who refused in nearly one-third of cases, according to the Guardian.

“In the name of national solidarity, the principle of presumed consent was chosen,” France’s biomedicine agency wrote on its website. “The law says that we are all donors of organs and tissues, unless we have expressed our refusal.”

At the time of death, doctors will ensure an individual was not listed on the National Rejection Register. They will also check with the family to learn if a person ever expressed their oral or written opposition to donating their organs or tissue.